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hello, the guide currently says that a leaseholder is not responsible for paying the freeholder's legal costs, whereas looking at legal advice on a number of solicitor's guides this seems to be incorrect and in fact they do have to pay costs - is it possible to get clarity on this please?
thanks!

Most sellers will simply agree terms with their landlord to be able to sell the flat to their buyers. Provided the buyers are happy with the new terms then a deal is done. Its so much quicker than the statutory process and most buyers don't want the hassle of a statutory process.

It really depends on the parties involved and their circumstances. I have acted for several sellers and buyers who have chosen to follow the statutory process.

Obtaining the right information and good advice is the key to being able to make the best decision.

Specialist in Lease Extensions and Freehold Acquisitions. Posts do not constitute advice.

hello, the guide currently says that a leaseholder is not responsible for paying the freeholder's legal costs, whereas looking at legal advice on a number of solicitor's guides this seems to be incorrect and in fact they do have to pay costs - is it possible to get clarity on this please?
thanks!

Any opinions on ground rent linked to RPI? I'm doing the sums on up the more expensive statutory lease extension option with an offer from the freeholder to simply vary the lease, which is a lot cheaper but £300 yearly ground rent linked to RPI - does this sound risky in terms of future costs and more importantly effect on selling the property in the future?

Any opinions on ground rent linked to RPI? I'm doing the sums on up the more expensive statutory lease extension option with an offer from the freeholder to simply vary the lease, which is a lot cheaper but £300 yearly ground rent linked to RPI - does this sound risky in terms of future costs and more importantly effect on selling the property in the future?

I have a 97 year lease left and have owned the flat for just over two years. Recent property values are £450,000. The Freeholder is Hackney council and the ground rent is £9 a year. I have £15,000 in a savings account which is my emergencies fund - but I'm unlikely to get any more savings in the future on a public sector salary with little disposable income, and 23 years left on the mortgage. I have no plans to move house, unless interest rates rise so high that I couldn't afford the mortgage repayments. Should I use my savings to extend my lease now - or wait until the remaining lease years drops lower?

My freeholder has replied with two quotes. The first is £7,500 more than I submitted. The second is without prejudice for £3,500 more than I submitted, if I meet a deadline to complete. The second quote is £1,500 more than the top of my budget (without incurring even more debt). I went back to the freeholder with that amount but they are unwilling to move.Would you consider pursuing it for the sake of £1,500? I imagine the best case scenario is the tribunal finds in my favour and I get it for the lower figure quoted on the Leasehold Advisory Service calculator, but with additional solicitor costs (which I pay for both of us), which I think would overall only save a max of £1000. Worst case, I still pay the same amount PLUS the solicitor fees.From looking at this thread is it fair to surmise that my freeholder has priced it to tempt me and I should only pursue it if the difference between the amounts is closer to £5,000+, and therefore Iím likely to save money? Side note Ė no surveys have been done by either party.

Hi I'm looking to get my lease extended and wondered if there's any advice on how to choose a valuer and solicitor?
I've looked at the lease advice directory and the alep directory but the guide says consider ones further afield if you live in an expensive area. Any tips welcome.

Been a while since I have posted on here. I have just received the following email from my solicitor and just require some advice if possible.

I am , of course, aware that you decided not to purchase the freehold with the other Tenant earlier this year my concern is that the freehold could be purchased by a specialist company with the aim of charging management fees that can, in some cases, be quite excessive. To my mind it would be preferable for you and the other Tenant to acquire the freehold so that you have control of the expenses for repairs maintenance and insurance of the building.

Im very confused. Like I said in a post I posted a few years back, I extended my lease to 170 years. I live a converted flat (I live upstairs with my neighbour living on the ground floor). If someone does purchase the freehold at auction can they really start imposing new terms on the lease and start charging fees etc. Currently we have a good system in place whereby any works that need to be done on the property are split 50/50 between myself and my neighbour and we are also responsible for our seperate insurances. I have lived in the property for 5 years now and have had no contact with the current freeholder - and to be honest I've had no need to either.

Like I said in a post I posted a few years back, I extended my lease to 170 years. I live a converted flat (I live upstairs with my neighbour living on the ground floor). If someone does purchase the freehold at auction can they really start imposing new terms on the lease and start charging fees etc.

We recently bought a flat after being told that it had 111 years left on the lease. But when we received the solicitor's report she stated that the lease only had 99 years left. When we checked the lease the wording was not clear so we asked her to clarify. The solicitor responded by amending her the Report to say 111 years, implying that she had made a mistake.

It was only months later, after we got the deeds, that we were able to confirm that the correct figure was in fact 99 years as stated in the solicitor's original report.

We are now wondering what is the best course of action. In our view the property was mis-sold and the solicitor let us down. Length of lease must affect the price and saleability of a property and the shorter than expected lease means that we will need to extend it 12 years earlier than we would have done otherwise. However if we were to apply for compensation on what basis would we quantify the amount claimed?

I've spoken to the the Lease Advice Service but apart from referring to the Finance Ombudsman they weren't that helpful.

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